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Monday, July 12, 2010

When Sarah and I were still in St. Lucia we enjoyed our weekend ritual of going to the movies. We had low bar expectations for the movie; our only criteria was to have air conditioning and be entertained. Well on one very rainy Sunday we dashed through the raindrops and huddled under the cement stairs of the pedestrian overpass to wait for the bus.

There was man standing there too trying to avoid the rain while waiting for the bus. So, I said hello like you do in St. Lucia. His response was, “Aren’t you going to say Happy Father’s Day?” I think the look on Sarah’s and my face was a bit befuddled. Yes it was father’s day on this particular day, but how were we supposed to know this guy is a father? Should we assume every man is? What to say next?

I quickly said, “Oh yes! Happy Father’s Day!” But then he started talking to me and the more he said the less I could actually see of Sarah. She claims she had to turn her body around the corner to stay dry, but I know better SARAH LEER!

So I was pretty much left standing there with some stranger who was talking about Father’s Day. Somehow the conversation went in another direction when I asked what this guy did. You know what he said? He was the crowning winner of Karaoke competitions across St. Lucia. Not only was he so proud of his achievement, he actually said, “You know I’m just a regular guy. I mean, but it’s a pretty big deal… I win Karaoke competitions all over this island.” Really?!? Had we just run into the St. Lucian version of Ron Burgundy?

Not only that, but he topped it off by singing a Karaoke song dripping with saccharine lyrics and melody. Wow! I wish I had recorded it, so you could actually hear and see what we experienced. Neither of us recognized the song, but it was truly an interesting performance. I guess you can’t escape Karaoke no matter what part of the world you’re in.

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comments:

Oh, awkward, random conversations! They are always a crap shoot. I just about yelled at one of my coworkers who watched me struggle with a super awkward conversation with lots of language barriers and didn't even try to help. It's like when your friend is getting hit on by a creepy guy at a club - you step in and help a sister out. Rule 1.

I can imagine you standing there, wide eyed and tight lipped, forcing an understanding nod and an interested smile, all the while fighting back the urge to barrel over with laughter. And Sarah, darting out of the experience like that... tisk tisk.